NPP demands Police protection for Akuffo, Addison

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) today made an official application to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) requesting for police protection for Gloria Akuffo, a member of the legal team for the petitioners in the ongoing Supreme Court case challenging the December 2012 elections, as well as for lead counsel for the petitioners, Philip Addison.

This request was made after two ‘macho men’ on a motorbike, on Monday 13th May 2013, went to the offices of Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co. demanding to know the residential address of Gloria Akuffo. The two were referred to Alex Quainoo, one of the lawyers at the firm and also a member of the legal team of the petitioners. After listening to the requests of the two men, Alex Quainoo turned them away.

Two days after this rather strange visit and demand, the office of Gloria Akuffo was burgled.

In light of this and other incidents, Captain Kodah (rtd), the Head of Security of Nana Akufo-Addo’s outfit, earlier this week, went to the offices of the IGP to inform him of these events and ask for official police protection for Gloria Akuffo and other members of the legal team.

The IGP subsequently asked Captain Kodah to come with a formal written application, copied to the Director of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP John Kudalor, so the Police Service could formally act on the request. This official request, in the form of a letter, was presented to the IGP this morning.

It is recalled that there was a recent break in the office of Gloria Akuffo. This occurred in the morning of Wednesday May 15, 2013 resulting in the theft of two computers as well as the hard drive and memory of a server in the office.

The first intrusion of her office was on Sunday December 16, 2012, barely a week after the general elections, and at a time the NPP had indicated its preparedness to challenge the December 2012 elections in court.